Workwear company Hawx wanted a 4×4 with a hard-working vibe that could thrash through the desert while supporting Trophy Trucks. The company teamed up with Lost Angels Career Center, and the result is this incredible, student-built, Asphalt Gray 1974 Chevy C30 Crew Cab designed to dominate the dirt.
About Lost Angels Career Center
The C30 was built at Lost Angels Career Center’s headquarters in Lancaster, California. The nonprofit runs a twelve-week, hands-on program for young adults who have had a rough start in life. Students learn fabrication, welding, CNC machining, and more, all while working in a real-world shop environment. Along the way, they build fully functional vehicles like this C30. The program also covers critical soft skills, including interview preparation, financial literacy, and how to buy a car or a house.
The success rate of Lost Angels Career Center is impressive. Each year, the program enrolls 150 students and posts a 97 percent graduation rate. Ninety-five percent of graduates move directly into careers. Alumni have gone on to work at Northrop Grumman, Emory Motorsports, Lockheed Martin, and more.
6.0-Liter V8 With Holley EFI
This truck blends a salvage yard sourced service body and 1974 Chevy C30 Crew Cab with a Facebook Marketplace sourced 2005 Chevy 2500 HD pickup chassis. Between the 2500 HD frame rails sits the factory GM LQ4 6.0-liter V8, fitted with headers, a Holley Sniper EFI system, a Holley intake, and a Holley Terminator X Max engine control kit. Cooling comes from a Frostbite radiator and an electric fan, while a Holley alternator and Antigravity battery handle electrical duties.
Power flows through a 4L80E four-speed automatic transmission with a remote cooler. A BorgWarner 44-01 two-speed transfer case sends torque to the axles.
Dana 60 Up Front, 14-Bolt Out Back
The 2005 2500 HD’s independent front suspension was ditched in favor of a solid axle. Up front is a manual locking hub equipped Dana 60 sourced from a 2013 Ford Super Duty, loaded with Yukon Gear & Axle 4.88:1 gears and a Yukon Dura Grip limited slip differential. Out back, a GM 14-bolt axle runs a Yukon Grizzly Locker and matching Yukon 4.88:1 gears.
Radius Arm Solid Axle Swap, Rear Leaf Spring Suspension
The front solid axle swap was completed using a WFO Concepts 6-inch SAS kit. It is designed for coilovers and includes radius arm links, a drag link, a crossmember, frame plates, and more. The team used ADS 3.0-inch diameter, 10-inch travel, internal bypass, remote reservoir coilovers along with ADS bump stops. The upper ends of the coilovers bolt to strut towers fitted with a strut tower brace. The rear suspension features Deaver leaf springs, ADS 3.0 piggyback bypass shocks and bump stops, and limit straps.
The suspension provides approximately seven inches of lift, allowing full travel of the 40×13.50R17LT Toyo Open Country M/T tires mounted on 9-inch wide Raceline Avenger beadlock wheels.
Custom Bumpers, Shortened Service Body
The cab came from a complete dually truck sourced out of a salvage yard. It was mostly straight, so the team fabricated custom body mounts and dropped it onto a 2005 Silverado chassis. Portions of the front clip were reused, while new Auto Metal Direct panels handle the rest, including new front fenders, hood, grille, and more.
Custom bumpers reside front and rear, while rock sliders shield the rocker panels. A Harbor Freight Badland winch, custom roof rack, and an army of KC lights, both forward facing and underbody, are included.
The service body was pulled from a two-door squarebody Chevy in a salvage yard. The team shortened it by seven inches and angled the lower rear of the body by 40 degrees to improve the truck’s departure angle. In addition to its inherent ability to carry tools and gear, the service body bed holds a spare tire on a custom mount.
Eight-Point Rollcage, Suspension Seats, And More
The interior keeps things simple but fully functional. A custom dash and console house a Holley EFI Pro Dash unit, while a high mounted B&M Pro Gate transmission shifter handles gear changes. A twelve-gang switch panel and aftermarket steering wheel round out the controls. Four NRG Innovations Defender suspension seats provide seating for passengers, each fitted with the company’s seat belt harnesses. A custom eight-point roll cage adds an extra layer of protection.
Skills Come From Doing The Work
This student-built 1974 Chevy C30 is designed to survive hard off-road miles and it looks great doing it. For the students who built it, it’s proof that skills come from doing the work.
Photos by Ken Brubaker, Hawx, and Lost Angels Career Center
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